


We Met When We Were Seventeen

by AuenBunny



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Childhood Friends, Family Feels, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:09:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28113654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuenBunny/pseuds/AuenBunny
Summary: A seventeen-year-old Chinese boy from a city moves into his new house in a rural town, in an alley full of Korean families. He makes friends, he gets to live his new life and find a lot of new things he never experienced before.
Relationships: Jeon Wonwoo/Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi, Kim Mingyu/Xu Ming Hao | The8, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi/Lee Seokmin | DK, Lee Jihoon | Woozi/Lee Seokmin | DK, SEVENTEEN Ensemble/SEVENTEEN Ensemble
Kudos: 3





	We Met When We Were Seventeen

“Hey, need some help? You guys got huge amount of stuff here huh?” 

“Thanks. My dad had big pile of paperwork. He used to work in the lab.” 

“What kind of lab?” 

“Pathology, I guess? Not sure what they call it.” 

“Cool! Eh, give me that, I’ll do it.” I hand him over the giant storage box before taking another one out of the truck. Actually, we almost finish all of them, yet I do appreciate him lending his hand. “So, what’s your name, _New Boy_?” 

“Minghao. Xu Minghao.” 

“Your last name is not so familiar – Chinese?” I slightly nod back. “You gonna be the first Chinese boy in the alley then. But don’t worry! The kids are all nice. And oh, I’m Boo Seungkwan – Korean, obviously.” 

Well, seeing from how he speaks and presumes some true facts today, I guess he’s a ‘big shot’ here. His place runs a grocery too, he must be famous around then? The grocery, which is on the right side of my new house, locates right at the corner of the alley. They use their ground floor for their business, and I suppose the other two are for the family members. 

“So... Minghao, what brought you guys here then?” 

“My mom got appointed as a branch manager in the city downtown. We are actually from Phuket, but Mom and Dad always prefer Surat. It's just the right timing so, here we are.” 

“But the city is like 40 minutes away though? Wouldn’t it be harder to stay here?” 

“My dad wants to eat at _Choi’s_.” 

“What?” Seungkwan raises his voice as my answer isn’t so expected. 

“ _Choi’s_. The Dim sum place.” 

“Wait, wait, wait. You mean, right there? The opposite house?” I didn’t realize until now that Dad actually made it, buying the house which is right in front of the place. “It doesn’t make any sense though?” 

“I know, right? Dad said he’d loved the place at the first time he tried it. He came by once a few months ago, and he keeps saying he wants to eat there every morning ever since.” 

“And luckily, he somehow managed to get a house exactly right in front of the dream place.” 

“Yep. A very dramatic story.” 

“Now your dad is my new idol.” I didn’t think Dad would ever be someone’s idol, because I always doubt what he does, namely our moving. “Good Afternoon, Mr. Xu! My place is on your right, the grocery. I’m Seungkwan. Boo Seungkwan.” He runs to Dad and apparently the two are already friends in just a few seconds. I wish I could be cheerful and lovable like that. Lucky me he came and talked to me first, otherwise I would end up all alone here. I leave the new-buddies in the house and go out to get a few more boxes from the truck. 

\----- 

The small town here is not so familiar to me since I was born in downtown Phuket. Being a city boy is enjoyable but tiring at the same time, but I guess the more rural one won't be too bad, maybe? I will now have to slow down myself a bit and enjoy the quieter life here. 

Or maybe not that quiet. 

“Seokmin! Ask your mom if she’d got any chicken breasts left.” A loud voice echoes from the chicken rice restaurant across the grocery. 

“You do it! I know you have her number, so just make a call yourself!” Wow, that’s louder. 

“I don’t remember having it, you _Lazy_!’ Just do it for me, will you?” The chicken rice boy comes out front of his restaurant and shouts back. 

Now the butcher’s child (I think?) gets outside his house to shout too. “I gave you the other day, don’t remember? And my answer is – No, I won’t do it. You _chicken_.” 

“I don’t remember. Why don’t you just go easy and do it for me, _Lazy_.” I wonder why they need to shout back and forth when their places only have _Choi’s_ in between. It’s only a few steps walk though. 

“Stop calling me _Lazy_ and do it yourself. Why made me do your jobs when you have my mom’s number? Or you can just go see her at the market yourself. You should work out a bit, _Fat Chicken_!” I don’t see this end any soon. 

“ _Fat Chicken?_ You called me that, you _Big Feet_? I’ll just use your ugly giant thighs instead. For God’s sake, don’t you see how busy I am here? Why do you have to be so tough?” This comedy is so fun to watch. Don’t know which side I should pick, the _Fat Chicken_ or the _Big Feet_. 

“Shut up, both of you! Don’t you see people here? Manners please, guys. Seokmin, why don’t you just do it for him?” I think this guy must be the _real_ one. Look how charismatic he is, like that typical gang leader that gives everyone chills in animes. He can stop these two with only a few words, surprisingly from the... Dim sum owner’s son? Since he just walked out from his house. 

Seokmin now speaking, volumed down but still in loud voice, “Dad needs the log book done before Mom gets back, so I’m busy as hell, _hyung._ ” Yet he still manages some time to argue over this. 

“Then just give Soonyoung your mom’s number now. You guys are fighting over nothing, seriously.” 

“Not fighting!” 

“Not fighting!” The kids yell at the same time. Now supposed the match’s over, I guess. 

“We just have a small _disagreement_.” Great word choice, Soonyoung. 

“I guess we’re all cleared? And again, lower your voices.” The big brother goes back into his house. 

Wow, that’s impressive. Neck-and-neck fight shows with a well-experienced, professional referee, fun and free to watch. Life here kinda gets more and more interesting. Now Soonyoung is about to go back in after getting what he needs. 

“Hey, you're the _New Boy_?” Seokmin’s question stops Soonyoung and now both of them are looking at me with interest. 

“Yep, I just arrived a few hours ago.” 

“I’m Lee Seokmin!” 

“I’m Kwon Soonyoung.” 

“I’m Xu Minghao.” 

“How old are you?” Now Soonyoung’s asking. 

“Seventeen.” 

“So, you’re same age as him. I’m one year older.” So Seokmin is younger than him, yet arguing like close peers. “I gotta go. Come and try our chicken rice some time, on the house welcoming you guys!” Aw, that's sweet. 

“Me too should get going. Talk to you later, mate.” 

“Okay.” I lightly wave back after both of them. They each walk back into their houses, so I guess I should dismiss myself too. 

\----- 

“Hey, what's your name? I'm Kim Mingyu.” Someone I’m pretty sure I haven’t talked to before. I turn my head toward the voice which is from the other side of my house. He peeks his head out of the slightly opened steel folding door. Even though it is late afternoon, the house is still close, unlike the other units around the area that usually fully open their storefronts. 

“Xu Minghao.” I look up above his over-three-meter front, where typically lies the store’s name. 

_'Four-leaf clovers'_

“Ha. That’s our store’s name. I know it sounds funny, right? My dad just randomly came up with something he felt like.” I must have stared for a while he caught it. “My parents went to visit Grandpa and Grandma, so we're closed today.” I nod back as that answers my curiosity. “Hi Mr. Xu, I’m Kim Mingyu. I live next to you guys.” Now his too-tall body is fully outside of the house. “Hey, Seungkwan!” His voice raises a bit as the famous boy walks out of my house. 

“Oh, hi! Are your parents home?” 

“Nope. They're away until Sunday, to Korea.” Seungkwan nods to reply Mingyu then he walks back to his house, leaving three of us _getting to know each other_ in front of my house. 

“Well, do you want to eat here tonight? It must be not easy by yourself.” Dad offers Mingyu, not so surprised from the foodie guy. Dad loves cooking for other people. He once almost opened his own restaurant when I was like seven or eight, but then he found a great made-to-order place in our hometown, so he was discouraged a little, saying that he would never gonna make any baht if the place still existed. That's how the twenty-third item got _deleted_ off his bucket list. 

“I’d really love to. The thing is, I’ve just started brewing my chicken stew like an hour ago, and I don’t want to keep it overnight, so… do you mind if I bring it?” 

“Oh, you cook?” 

“Yep, quite often. My parents both work so I’ve been doing it for quite long time, it’s sort of half-job-half-hobby to me.” 

“I see. Sure, why not? But if I try and it’s really good, you have to give me the recipe, deal?” 

“Deal! I gotta go watch it now, excuse me. I’ll see you tonight Mr. Xu. See you Minghao!” 

That’s how our first night at new home ended up with a guest bringing his _original Little Kim’s chicken soup_ to showcase. Mingyu showed up at sixish, my dad won’t stop talking to him since then like he’s one of those childhood-friend uncles, and my mom even needs to nag him to eat first. We don’t really get a chance to try Korean food that much but Mingyu’s soup is quite close to my taste though. He said that it’s not that original Korean style since he has to adapt some ingredients which can’t be found here. I love how he mixed those scents of Thai herbs in a Korean dish, yet they don’t completely get rid of the original taste. 

Mingyu has now been a good friend of Dad’s because of their common interest in cooking. He said that years ago when his grandparents still lived here, his grandma would let him stay in the kitchen watching her cooking almost every day. It sounds like he’s a quick learner, as he’s tried to follow Grandma’s steps and also put in his unique style; he also looks up in the internet to find new recipes in free time. While he likes cooking tradition Korean and Thai food, he also knows a lot about Chinese food – which makes Dad love this new cook-mate even more. 

As they already promised each other that tomorrow’s dinner will be at the Kim’s, prepared by _Executive Chef (Little) Kim_ , Mingyu is about to go back to his house. I walk him to the front since it would be awkward (of course) if we let our guest leave the house by himself, even though Dad has been calling him ‘ _chingu_ ’ (‘friend’ in Korean) all the time. 

“So, we are the same age? Seventeen, right?” 

“Yep, is there anyone else besides you and me?” 

“There is. You met Seokmin, right? That’s one, and there’s Seungkwan. Hmm, and the pharmacy at the other end,” He points his long, healthy arm to the other end of the alley where I haven’t walked through yet. “their child is also seventeen like us.” 

“Oh.” I wasn’t really used to being in a neighborhood full of people around the same age, so this is kinda new to me. “There are a lot of you guys here. Woah.” 

“Haha. This alley won’t never be in silence as long as us tons of boys are still here.” I can imagine that. As far as I know there are ten or eleven houses in this alley, and what surprises me is that every family has at least one son, every single family. And I’m sure when tons of boys are together, there’s nothing like peacefulness exists on Earth. 

**Author's Note:**

> I've never tried writing a long story yet, so... this is my first time! I've been wanting to do this for a long time and I just got about 2-3 weeks in between school semesters so here I am!  
> Please don't mind my English too much since it's my second language;-; I want to try something new as well as getting better at writing, so I think this will be a good way for me, plus being able to put my thoughts into something like this is so fascinating hehe.
> 
> The place in the story is kind of both real and unreal(?) Some of them are actually from my own experience from actually going there to the mentioned place, added some MSG and how I want to develop the characters to be. Anyway I wanted this to be something like Reply 1988 vibes or similar, so even if you have no idea what I'm talking about, hope you look forward to this work! If it's time I have to go back to study, I might not be here so often but I'll try as much as I can!


End file.
